An overwhelming sense of passion for agricultural aviation exudes from Juliana Torchetti every time she speaks. Her career in aviation began in 2007. She was a flight instructor in Brazil and then began flying a Boeing 737 and a Boeing 727 for approximately four years. Witnessing aerial firefighting for the first time inspired her intrigue for agricultural aircraft, where, in many cases, the same planes are used. Then, taking a step away from commercial airlines, she seized the opportunity to go to ag pilot school (a requirement in Brazil for agricultural pilots). 

She became an aerial applicator in Brazil in 2013. Juliana flew a plethora of different crops including sugar cane, corn, and soybeans. Shortly after meeting her husband, she began new operations in the US in 2017 where she began spraying rice, corn, beans, vegetables, and cotton. Contrasting these two countries, she reports that the weather patterns, the type of crops and the types of training seem to be the biggest differences. 

Climate and weather are exceptionally critical factors in this line of work. In the US, the peak growing seasons tend to be during the summer months while in Brazil, because the climate is greatly different, the peak growing seasons are longer, if not year-round. Fortunately, Juliana was still able to make time for a solo trip ferrying a plane from Georgia to Brazil. This is one activity she enjoys doing during her “off-season.” Challenged with an already daunting task, her biggest hurdle was flying through unexpected harsh weather, as most radar tools malfunction when flying over the ocean or jungle. Weather, windmills, power lines, and cell phone towers are obstacles that are monitored by every ag pilot when taking flight, but a trip of this distance comes with even more preparation.